Apple and pear post-harvest: fertilisation to replenish and revitalise

With harvesting of late varieties still under way at the time of writing (September 2026), we provide some general data on apple and pear production in Italy and Europe.

The trend in pear production is different. After seasons affected by frost and drought, as well as phytosanitary issues, particularly brown spot, and established and emerging pest problems (codling moth, brown marmorated stink bug), which have led to a considerable abandonment of this crop, European production appears to be partially recovering, with 2026 forecasts up compared with the previous year: just under 2 million tonnes, representing a 5.5% increase compared with 2025. In Italy, 347,000 tonnes of pears are expected to be harvested from approximately 20,000 hectares devoted to the crop, up from 293,000 tonnes in 2025. Despite this slight recovery, the Italian pear sector continues to show several weaknesses: reduced cultivated areas, ageing and sometimes underperforming orchards, high production costs, inconsistent yields and increasing climate pressure all call for precise and rational agronomic management.

The high temperatures combined with drought experienced in summer 2026 and in other recent seasons across many apple- and pear-growing areas in Italy increase the risk of physiological imbalances, alterations in the ripening process due to interruptions in photosynthetic activity, reduced accumulation of secondary metabolites, as well as irregular fruit size and colour development (also due to sunburn), and finally poor reserve accumulation in the perennial organs of the plant.

This leads to two practical considerations.

The first is that the fertilisation strategy adopted should aim not only to meet nutritional requirements, but also to maintain and regenerate overall soil fertility, which, moreover, is being severely challenged by climate change.

The second is that, even more than in the past, it is essential to plan post-harvest applications aimed not only at replenishing the nutrients removed by the crop, but also at regenerating the soil and supporting reserve accumulation within the plant, in preparation for vegetative growth resumption.

Moreover, in intensive apple and pear orchards, where machinery repeatedly passes through the inter-rows, an adequate soil organic matter content helps counteract soil compaction and restore porosity, load-bearing capacity and water retention capacity. The storage of rainfall during autumn should be encouraged, considering how widespread and frequent dry summer conditions have now become.

Creating balanced conditions in the rhizosphere supports the plant more generally in recovering from the effects of multiple stresses experienced during ripening and the warm season. Where soils are particularly depleted, which is not uncommon in highly specialised production areas where apple and pear orchards are repeatedly replanted on the same land, the application of organic matter may not be sufficient to stimulate the proliferation of beneficial microorganisms. In such cases, these microorganisms can be supplied and localised in the rhizosphere through inoculated fertilisers. These products are effective not only at vegetative growth resumption, when the plant must absorb large quantities of nutrients to support canopy development, but also in autumn, when they promote the mobilisation of nutrient reserves contained in the soil organic matrix or present in immobilised forms, such as phosphorus.

A living soil allows irrigation water to be used more efficiently, reduces fluctuations in nutrient availability and makes agronomic practices more sustainable. In long-term orchards, this approach represents an investment in productivity.

Fumier Sulfer is a blend of humified manure, partially hydrolysed animal proteins, micronised sulphur and ferrous sulphate heptahydrate. It supplies high-quality organic matter and nutrients. The humic acids present in humified manure bind to divalent iron through carboxylic and phenolic bonds, forming iron humates. This entirely natural chelation process then makes iron available through the complex cycle of organic matter. It is an ideal fertiliser for all crops with high iron and sulphur requirements, such as some vegetable crops (spinach, chard and lettuce) and ornamental plants; it is also ideal for tree crops such as kiwifruit, cherry and grapevine. The supply of high-quality organic matter improves the physical properties of the soil and stimulates microbiota biodiversity, while nutrients are released gradually, reducing losses. Fumier Sulfer is authorised for use in organic farming.

Biocomplex 6.8.12 is an organo-mineral fertiliser produced from a blend of organic fertilisers with a high nitrogen and phosphorus content, with the addition of potassium sulphate. It provides both a rapid and prolonged fertilising action through the gradual release of all the organic nitrogen it contains, allowing a single application at the beginning of the crop cycle. It also promotes intense microbial activity in the soil, with a positive effect on fertility. It combines the fertilising action of the organic component with the availability of readily available nitrogen, thanks to the presence of free amino acids that provide a biostimulant action in synergy with humic acids, enabling a rapid resumption of root activity even under adverse conditions, such as thermal stress. The potassium supplied improves plant resistance to water and thermal stress, as well as sugar production, fruit size and colour. Biocomplex 6.8.12 is authorised for use in organic farming.